Gross, right? Perhaps, but the type of food coloring is government-approved and widely used throughout the food industry.

Vegans say they're mad because it's presented as a drink that vegans can consume. Daelyn Fortney of the vegan website This Dish Is Veg has started a petition on Change.org to protest Starbucks' use of the coloring.

It's a strange dilemma for Starbucks. The brand is trying to get rid of artificial ingredients, but instead of receiving praise for it, it's getting slammed.

But is Starbucks going about this the wrong way?

Michael Jacobson, executive director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, gave USA Today the logical solution: